UNLV Beats Long Beach State, Ends Four-Game Skid

These are not the happiest of times at Nevada Las Vegas.

The once-powerful Rebels, who aren’t running as much anymore, have been hovering around the .500 mark. Crowds in the 18,000-seat Thomas & Mack Center have been paltry and growing more testy with each game. The offense looks as if it was designed on a playground and fans wishing for a return to the good old days have shown their displeasure by booing Coach Rollie Massimino.

The Rebels heard the boo-birds at times again Monday night, then rallied after blowing an 11-point halftime lead to defeat Long Beach State, 68-61, in a Big West Conference game before only 4,209. The victory ended a four-game losing streak, second longest in Rebel history.

Long Beach (10-7, 5-5) played one of its sloppiest first halves in years, turning the ball over time and time again, while making only 27% of its shots from the field. The 49ers trailed by 32-21 at the half.

But Las Vegas (10-9, 6-5) appeared flat at the outset of the second period and the 49ers caught them, 40-40, with 10:13 left. The Rebels, however, rallied with an 8-0 spurt and never trailed again.

A driving layup by freshman Sunshine Smith gave the Rebels a 9-6 lead with a little more than three minutes gone. Dedan Thomas drove the lane for another basket with 13:38 to go in the half, and the Rebels were off on a 10-2 run that ended with another basket by Smith for a 21-8 lead.

Smith, who had eight points in the half, left the game shortly thereafter because of stomach cramps, but he didn’t miss much. The Rebels extended their lead to 27-16 on dunks by Reggie Manuel and Patrick Savoy, the latter coming off a breakaway pass from Thomas, who had five assists in the period.

The 49ers, meanwhile, made only two of their first 12 shots and four of their first 23. The 49ers went nearly seven minutes at one point without a field goal.